Taking a pup into the woods

Make sure your pup is "turned on" before you ask her to engage in a hunting situation. In other words, if the dog won't really get after a training hog in a pen, you probably shouldn't expect the dog to do much in a woods scenario. With all my young dogs, once a mnth from the age of 3mnths on they get the chance to work a hog in a controlled environment. If at any point they don't show interest, cull. This ensures that when you do give the dog the opportunity in the woods, they will make the most of it and you're not wasting time.